Data theft case: Cleartrip chief interrogated

Cleartrip chief executive officer Stuart Crighton was interrogated on Monday by the Gurgaon police in connection with a data theft case filed by Travelocity India.

He was questioned after he reported at a Gurgaon police station, where Crighton and Amit Taneja, former managing director of Desiya Online Distribution, underwent a procedural arrest.

They were later released on bail.

Cleartrip is one of the top three online travel agencies in India, with a 35 per cent market share.

A Cleartrip spokesperson confirmed the development.

"We, at Cleartrip, believe the FIR filed by Travelocity is misconceived, baseless and filed with ulterior motives -- it is an attempt by a large global company to abuse India's judicial system to hinder a local Indian competitor.

"We believe in India's judicial system and are extending our every cooperation to all the relevant agencies involved in this investigation," said a company statement.

Travelocity India had accused Crighton of conniving with senior officials of Desiya Online Distribution to commit data theft, which led to loss of business.